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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fujitsu Services UK staff working on HMRC contracts announced strike action in 2025 over a pay offer that PCS said was far below the increase received by in-house HMRC colleagues doing similar jobs. The announced action is historical: the available reporting does not establish a strike underway on 8 October 2026 or confirm whether the dispute has since been resolved.
Why were Fujitsu staff at HMRC striking?
The dispute was about pay. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents the workers, said Fujitsu offered its members a 1.5% increase while HMRC employees doing similar work received 5%. The figures are the union’s comparison; the cited sources do not provide an independent payroll analysis. PCS’s March 2025 announcement described the difference as a dispute between outsourced staff and in-house colleagues working side by side.
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PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “This is a classic example of all that’s wrong with outsourcing – colleagues working side by side being paid different rates for doing similar jobs.” That is the union’s position on the dispute, not an independently verified assessment of the workers’ roles or pay arrangements.
When was strike action announced?
Two days in January
PCS announced that more than 300 Fujitsu Services UK workers would strike on 30 and 31 January 2025. The figure was the union’s reported number of workers covered by the announcement, not a confirmed turnout count. PCS’s January announcement and contemporaneous Computer Weekly reporting described the 1.5% versus 5% pay comparison.
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Twenty-two further planned days
On 12 March 2025, PCS announced 22 further days of action, scheduled from 21 March through 23 April, after members rejected the 1.5% offer. Those were planned strike dates; the announcement does not establish how many workers took part or whether every planned day went ahead.
Would a Fujitsu strike affect HMRC tax returns?
Before the January action, HMRC told Computer Weekly that it had “robust plans in place to ensure we continue delivering critical services for our customers during any industrial action.” Computer Weekly reported that HMRC expected the action not to affect people submitting self-assessment returns. PCS, by contrast, warned that the later action could affect time-sensitive work and expose Fujitsu to financial penalties for missed targets. These were competing statements about anticipated effects: the sources cited here do not confirm actual service disruption, missed targets, or penalties.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does “cash cow” mean in this story?
“Cash cow” was Computer Weekly’s description, not an official financial measure. In a January 2026 report, the publication called HMRC Fujitsu’s biggest UK government customer and used the phrase to characterize the department’s importance to Fujitsu’s UK business. The report also described changes in HMRC’s use of Fujitsu services, including replacing a Fujitsu-led consortium on the Northern Ireland Trader Support Service and a data-centre services tender intended to exit Fujitsu services. Read Computer Weekly’s January 2026 account.
That account does not mean all HMRC contracts with Fujitsu had ended. A UK Parliament written answer dated 17 July 2025 recorded seven Fujitsu contract extensions in the preceding 12 months:
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The written answer said six extensions were below the £20 million spend-control threshold and approved internally. The Trader Support Service extension was valued at £66.8 million and required Cabinet Office spend control and ministerial approval. These are details of extensions recorded in that answer, not a complete or current inventory of HMRC’s contracts. See the UK Parliament written answer.
What is established—and what is not
- Established: PCS announced January 2025 action and 22 further planned strike days from 21 March to 23 April, citing a pay comparison of 1.5% for Fujitsu staff and 5% for in-house colleagues doing similar jobs.
- Not established by these sources: actual strike turnout, whether all planned dates proceeded, the eventual effect on HMRC services, or whether Fujitsu paid penalties.
- Current status: The cited reporting does not establish whether the dispute was resolved or whether action is taking place in October 2026.
The pay dispute should not be conflated with the Post Office Horizon scandal. A Guardian report on earlier Fujitsu action in January 2024 noted that the union said that action was unrelated to Horizon; it is historical background, not evidence about the 2025 pay dispute’s outcome.
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